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    Get Organised: A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office
    Get Organised: A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office
    Get Organised: A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office
    Ebook169 pages2 hours

    Get Organised: A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office

    By Carol Posener (Vale)

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    About this ebook

    NEW REVISED EDITION AVAILABLE - NOW A BEST-SELLER!!

    Why can't I ever find anything around here?

    Being organised comes naturally to some - but for others it's definitely a struggle. In our time-poor society, it is easy to become weighed down by the chaos and confusion of a disorganised environment.

    'Get Organised! - A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office' will lighten the burden and help create more time to enjoy life.

    Designed for quick referencing, this invaluable book contains a wealth of information and 'trade secrets' to help organise the two most important areas of our daily lives - the home and the office.
    It provides:
    the basic rules of becoming organised
    examples of the types of organisational systems and products available
    helpful guidelines of making the best use of available space
    tips on archiving
    useful checklists throughout
    Keep this essential reference handy for all your organisational needs.

    "Carol Posener made an enormous difference to my life...I heartily recommend Get Organised to any busy person". Maggie Alderson, best-selling author of Pants on Fire and fashion columnist for Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia).

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCarol Posener (Vale)
    Release dateAug 7, 2012
    ISBN9781476232911
    Get Organised: A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office
    Author

    Carol Posener (Vale)

    Carol's experience in a variety of industries such as banking and stockbroking, the natural health industry and the world of marketing has led her to her passion in organising other people. Carol’s studies have included Certificate in Australian Securities (ASX), Small Business Management (BEC), Feng Shui (Naturecare College, St Leonards, NSW), Public Speaking (Rogan), and Certificate IV – Assessment and Workplace Training Accreditation (TAFE). Carol is a graduate of The NSW Business Enterprise Workshop (Winter Program 2009), Jo Martin's 'Shift Speaker Training' (London, July, 2012) and Marie Forleo's B-School (April, 2015).Carol is also a author of her book 'Get Organised – A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office' (Publisher Lothian - now in its 4th Print) as well as her newly released 'Get Organised in Your Office' eBook and Get Organised Workplace Efficiency - Email Management eBook, available for download from www.getorganised.com.au.Personally, Carol believes the process of de-cluttering, clarifying what you love and need to keep, and letting go of excess, outdated possessions in your life is a physical and emotional process and the benefits are extraordinary. The process clears the path to move forward in life to bring in the new. 'I regularly de-clutter areas in my life and I get exhilarated, just like our clients when the process is complete! It 'unblocks' us and helps us to feel clear and ready for the next stage in our lives'.Passions - Unique storage baskets and boxes, interior design, textiles, water lilies and orchids, Indian or French design, sourcing storage solutions for clients, my burmese cats, the beach, swimming, koi ponds and japanese gardens, inspirational music, travelling, recycling, and living simply.

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      Book preview

      Get Organised - Carol Posener (Vale)

      GET ORGANISED - A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ORGANISING YOUR HOME AND OFFICE

      by

      Carol Posener

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      *****

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Carol Posener on Smashwords

      Get Organised - A Practical Guide to Organising Your Home and Office

      Copyright © 2012 Carol Posener

      Enquiries to:

      Get Organised Pty Ltd

      PO Box 35, Mosman, NSW 2088, Sydney, Australia

      Website: www.getorganised.com.au

      Email: info@getorganised.com.au

      This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be stored or reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher, Carol Posener.

      Disclaimer:

      The author has made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this book is complete and accurate. However, the information and advice contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting a professional specialist in regards to any action that may affect your wellbeing or property. Individual readers must accept responsibility for their own actions, safety and health. Neither the author nor the publisher will be liable or responsible for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      About the Author

      Acknowledgments

      Preface

      What is ‘Get Organised’?

      What Services are provided?

      How to Use this Book

      Part One – A Philosophy

      Why People Need Organising -

      Organisationally Challenged People

      Why do we allow ourselves to become disorganised?

      Chronic Clutterers or Hoarders

      Procrastinators

      Fear of Change

      Busy People

      Being Naturally Organised may depend on how we were Trained as Children

      Learn to Say No!

      Outsourcing of Services

      2. Simple Ways to Overcome Disorganisation -

      Naturally Organised People

      It’s the Small Things that Count

      Embracing Change

      Support of a Buddy

      The Criteria of a Good ‘Buddy’

      Steps to Enlisting the Help of a ‘Buddy’

      Setting Up Routines

      How to Set up a Routines

      Positive Thinking

      A Routine Affirmation or Mantra for Success when Getting Organised

      Be Mindful Not To Clutter Other Peoples Lives

      The Stars Do it – So Do as the Move Stars Do!

      3. Time Management

      Goal Setting

      Planning Ahead

      Time Management Tips

      4. Timesaving Life Skills

      Taking Care of Household Paperwork

      Diary Action Plan

      How to Save Time with your ‘Reading’ Pile of Newspapers and

      Magazines

      Timesaving ‘Things To Do’ when Waiting for the Dinner to Cook

      Timesaving ‘Things To Do’ when Watching TV

      Commonsense Timesaving Ideas

      5. Completion

      How to Complete Tasks – The Steps to Take

      6. Eight Steps to Getting Organised

      Part Two – Organising Your Home

      1. Introduction - First Impressions

      Organising the Outside of Your Home

      Tips for Enhancing the Presentation of the Outside of your Home

      2. Kitchens & Pantries

      Kitchens -

      Kitchen Tips

      Pantries -

      Pantry Tips

      Pantry Checklist

      Refrigerator Tips

      Tradespeople & Important Telephone Contacts

      3. Your Bedroom

      Handbags and Briefcases

      Regular Clean Outs

      4. Children’s Spaces

      Bedrooms

      Playrooms

      Training Children

      Optimum Ages to Train Children

      Family Task Roster

      5. The Infamous Spare Room (better known as the ‘Junk’ Room)

      6. Living Rooms - Lounge Rooms – Family Rooms

      Regular Tidy-Ups

      Handy Things to always Keep on Hand in your Home

      Photographs and Storage

      Photograph Albums

      Photograph Storage Boxes

      How to Sort out Photographs and store them in Photograph Boxes

      8. Anniversaries

      Anniversary Checklist

      Wedding Anniversaries – What to Give

      9. Recycling

      10. Bathrooms

      Essential Bathroom Requirements for All the Family

      11. The Laundry

      Essential Laundry and Cleaning Items

      12. Home-Offices

      Workspaces and Storage

      A Place for Everything

      Desk Drawers

      Notice Boards

      13. Personal Finances

      Telephone Banking

      How to Organise a Bill Payment Folder

      Are your Finances Disorganised?

      Getting Organised with Internet Banking

      14. Functional Garages or Backyard Sheds

      Guidelines for Organising Your Garage or Backyard Shed

      Handy Tools and Equipment Checklists

      Garden Tools Checklist

      Workshop Tools Checklist

      Toolbox Checklist

      The Importance of Keeping your Tools Organised

      Maintenance

      15. Storage

      Storage Ideas

      Steps to Identifying and Creating more Space for Storage

      Space Saving Ideas - Kitchens, Babies & Children’s Rooms, Living rooms,

      Bathrooms, Laundries and Garages

      Accessibility Considerations

      Some of My Favourite Storage Ideas

      Part Three – Organising Your Office

      1. Introduction

      Discipline

      Valuing the Administration Side of Your Business

      2. Filing Systems -

      Filing Cabinets

      Lateral Filing Systems

      Culling Current Systems

      Steps to Take - Culling your Current Filing System

      Actioning Items

      Action File - Headings

      Labeling New Filing Systems

      3. Archiving -

      Sorting/Discarding Information

      4. Home-Offices -

      Equipment Required to Set up a Functional Home-Office

      Stationery Supplies

      5. Business Paperwork

      Lists

      Innovative Ideas for the Future -

      Home Automation and Lifestyle Management in a Box - ThinkBoxx and HomeBoxx

      The Besk

      World Class Survival Tool

      Electronic Personal Organisers -

      Personal Information Managers

      Portability with Technology Today

      Getting Organised on the Internet

      Computer Viruses

      Home Disaster Plan -

      Essential Items to Take

      Fire Evacuation Steps to Take

      Emergencies – Power Loss and Blackouts

      What to do with Old Books & Magazines

      Case Studies

      Conclusion

      Appendices:

      A Resources & Suppliers

      B Avenues for Disposal

      C Further Reading

      Testimonials

      Introduction

      About the Author

      Carol Posener established her business Get Organised over 18 years ago. Although she started her career in Banking and Stockbroking, she broke away from these industries in search of a business that she could have of her own, in search of her passion. On her road to self-fulfillment and discovery, she worked as a temporary secretary and identified the need for better organisation in offices. There appeared to be many offices without systems in place to aid staff in accessing information and resources with ease and ack of systems and procedures and clutter seemed to be a big problem.

      Carol found that she enjoyed organising and designing simple systems to save time and when she applied that idea to the home arena; clearing out clutter was a major part of the process. By clearing space, it clears the mind, so people are able to move forward with their life in a more productive way. That’s how Get Organised came about. I had no idea that there were any other companies in other countries providing this sort of service when I started. I just loved organising in general.

      Carol then offered the service to businesses and found a big demand for systems to be established in the small business or SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) area in addition to larger corporations. Many people start businesses and they have skills in a particular area, say marketing, or they are an ‘ideas’ person but some business owners forget to give attention to the administration side of the business, so right from the start they don’t have established systems to follow - no model. It comes at a cost down the track when filing cabinets are spilling over, and they have trouble locating information and their office space is filling up – all because the owner didn’t know how to deal with it or ignored the issues.

      Acknowledgments

      To all my wonderful clients who constantly inspire me to contact that creative place in myself that allows me to access better solutions and think laterally. My work has been a pleasure because of you. You are the people that have helped my business to grow and prosper, and without you, this book would never have been a consideration – so thank you.

      To my twin sister Suzanne, an extraordinary artist, whose natural, self-trained ability has inspired many and given me great joy throughout my life. How fortunate I am to have you in my life to illustrate my original hardcopy published book for me.

      To Averill Chase from Lothian Book Publishers, who guided me throughout the nine months that I worked on this book, back in 2001 when it was first published in hardcopy format. Thank you for your patience, intuitive knowledge about organising, and encouraging and motivating support. You certainly made my job easier.

      To The Manuscript Agency, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for picking up the telephone to ask if I was interested in writing a book. A girl could not get luckier!

      Preface

      The life we have created for ourselves has caused a revolution in accumulation - accumulation of material possessions. It is natural for us to want more, and more, because this reflects the delightful, inquisitive nature of the human being - to inquire and acquire knowledge. From this acquisition, we create and manifest all sorts of possessions and so, in this enquiring; we have created a problem for ourselves - an over-abundant supply of CLUTTER.

      It has taken over the world. It’s everywhere! All of a sudden recycling is cool, no longer just for the poor, but a necessity in society. Because we hang onto our possessions, so easily accumulated, we overlook the fact that objects date, become obsolete, and become unnecessary in the whole scheme of things. The possessions that surround us keep us happy and fulfilled - make us feel secure and successful.

      There are many reasons why we hang onto possessions. Unfortunately, we very often keep something for fear of hurting another persons feelings if we throw it away and this in turn produces feelings of guilt in us. Parting with an old tapestry handbag of your Mother’s becomes impossible because of it’s sentimental value so it’s never used and never discarded. We store items in our cupboards, attics, garages, wardrobes, and drawers, hanging onto objects that we don’t use or even like. We often feel that if we discard something sentimental, the memories will go too.

      We are a product of our time – classic hoarders. When I say this, a refer to a lot of us who hang onto unnecessary stuff – and many of us wouldn’t even know what belongings we have in certain areas of our homes. We forget. Sifting through boxes or a shed, can seem overwhelming – because it looks like too big a job – too time consuming. We haven’t looked there for years but we’ve got better things to do with out time so we put it off.

      En mass, we have become time-poor, so organising ourselves and keeping on top of everything that our lives encompass, has become an enormous challenge. Being disorganised causes STRESS – more stress than we need in our already over-stressed lives, because unfortunately (or fortunately) it stares us in the face – and so eventually it has to be dealt with.

      Author Hugh Mackay writes in an article entitled ‘Whoa! Hold the stresses and live a little’, It’s possible to tranquilize or even anaesthetize your system so you mask the effects of stress. But it will continue to sap your energy as long as you postpone treatment of the cause. Nothing can cripple you like the feeling that you’re not in control of your own situation; that you are powerless; that your destiny is in someone else’s hands.

      Our experience therefore has shown us that we need to take back the control, and do something about our stress and disorganisation, or our lives will continue to suffer. Hugh Mackay says, this can be achieved, but always at a cost and only if you’re determined to make the change. If you want to live in a new way, you’ll have to give up some old habits and that might cause short-term pain – to yourself and others. Many men, for instance have tricked themselves into working too hard for the sake of their family’s happiness and security, only to find the family would have been happier and with more of their time and less of their money.

      There comes to a point when we may realise that we have become blind to the things around us that clutter our lives. At this point we will realise that we may have a lot of work to do, to get our lives back into order.

      This book is designed to add a little lightness to the weight of organising oneself – it will help you to take the first step to being an organised individual. It will show you that organising yourself and your surroundings doesn’t have to be a burden – that it can become a joy and give you wonderful feelings of self-satisfaction, energy, confidence and ultimately fulfillment. Everything you need to have in your life will be at your fingertips because you can now de-clutter your spaces so you can now reclaim your life!

      Through the accumulation of experience gained from working in my business Get Organised, I am able to de-mystify organisation skills and show how easy it can be to get organised. We are all

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